News & Events

Honors Convocation award recipients announced

5/9/2014 —

Academic award recipients, scholarship winners and university scholars were recognized for their achievements on Thursday, May 1, at Penn State Lehigh Valley’s 28th annual Honors Convocation. For images from this event, please visit www.flickr.com/psulehighvalley.

Students honored for outstanding achievement included:
Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award: Joseph P. Sullivan (Easton, Pa.)
This honor recognizes a student who has completed two full years at a Commonwealth Campus and whose outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, leadership, and citizenship have positively influenced fellow students and have contributed to the prestige and well-being of his or her campus and, hence, to the reputation of the University as a whole.

2014 President Sparks Award: Zahra Jaffer (Macungie, Pa.)
This award is presented annually to those undergraduate degree candidates who have earned a 4.00 (A) cumulative grade-point average based on at least 36 graded Penn State credits completed by the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given.

Alexandria Downing Outstanding Student in Sociology Award: Miguelangel Tsiounis (Easton, Pa.)
This award is presented to the student who has demonstrated outstanding academic performance and promise in the field of sociology. Special consideration is given to those who have presented papers at professional conferences, have published in a sociology journal, or whose work has furthered Penn State’s promise in the area of outreach scholarship.

Creative Writing Award: Brayden R. Ford (Telford, Pa.) – First Place;
Rebecca A. Kinsey (Fogelsville, Pa.) – Second Place
This award, established by retired English faculty member Margaret Smart in 1989, recognizes excellent fiction or poetry written during the current academic year by a student at Penn State Lehigh Valley.

Excellence in Public Speaking Award: Simranjeet Singh (Easton, Pa.)
Recognizing the importance of effective communication in the world, this award is conferred upon the student who demonstrates excellence in public communication. Excellence in researching and presenting a speech required in a current Penn State Lehigh Valley course are the criteria for selection.

First-Year Chemistry Achievement Award: Christopher J. Shannon (Northampton, Pa.)
This award is presented to a first-year student for outstanding academic achievement in all four lecture and laboratory courses in Chemistry.

Mathematical Excellence Award: Michael C. Thor (Glen Gardner, NJ)
This award is presented to a student completing his or her sophomore year who has demonstrated excellence in the Calculus and Differential Equations series of courses and who has evinced an appreciation for the depth, power, and beauty of mathematics.

Outstanding Engineering Student Award: Alexander M. Reinsmith (Nazareth, Pa.)
The award is presented to an engineering student began his or her undergraduate studies at Penn State Lehigh Valley and who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in all engineering courses.

Outstanding Spanish Language Student Award: Shivani P. Negandhi (Orefield, Pa.)
This award is given to a student who has earned an A in at least three semesters of Spanish at our campus, has been an active member in classes and activities organized to promote Hispanic culture, and has shown a serious interest in pursuing language studies (minor or major in Spanish) or a major in Latin American Studies.

Outstanding Student in Biology Award: Michael G. Mfarej (Allentown, Pa.)
This award is given to the biology student who exemplifies collegiate excellence and demonstrates a desire to pursue a future that utilizes his or her biology education.

Outstanding Marketing/Management Award: Mandy Marquardt (Allentown, Pa.)
This award is presented to a senior in the marketing management option who has demonstrated outstanding achievement.

Outstanding Student in Organizational Leadership (OLEAD) Award: Kathleen B. Hoppe (Bethlehem, Pa.)
This award is given to an OLEAD student who has achieved the highest GPA in his/her major and has completed at least 40 credit hours at Penn State.

Outstanding Student in Psychology Award: Maria H. Amenta (Macungie, Pa.)
This award is presented to a junior or senior who has demonstrated outstanding performance in the major.

Outstanding Student Teacher Award: Jane Louise Fuscellaro (Quakertown, Pa.)
This award is presented to the elementary education major who has demonstrated outstanding performance as a student teacher.

Outstanding Tutor Award: Kelly L. Youwakim (Whitehall, Pa.)
This award is given to the individual who displays excellence in the Learning and/or Writing Center. Professional and peer tutors are eligible for this award. Special consideration is given to individuals based upon length of service, number of students served, and feedback from students, faculty, and staff.

Women’s Commission Adult Learner Award: James N. Faircloth (Breinigsville, Pa.)
Established by the Penn State Lehigh Valley Women’s Commission, this award is presented to an adult student who has shown academic excellence and displayed outstanding leadership qualities. This award is now given in memory of Maybelle A. Furchner.

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